Diaspora

26.01.2016

KIGALI – Twenty years ago, on 7 April 1994, the Rwandan genocide began. The cartoonist Jeroen Janssen was in the country at the time. After publishing his first comic book about the genocide in 1997, the fact-based fictional story Muzungu, he had wanted to create a more in-depth book. Because there is more to the story.

Janssen is still in touch with many people who experienced the genocide first-hand. This includes expatriates who were in Rwanda at the time and Rwandans who survived, some of whom were actively involved in the events. Many of these people have since built a life in Rwanda, while others have sought a better life in Europe or America.

This time, he wanted to tell real stories, not fiction. He decided to track down people he had known back then, draw them, and explore how they experienced the build-up to the genocide and how the events of 1994 irrevocably changed their lives.